Feasibility study of electricity power plant from biogas by utilizing the liquid waste of palm oil mill in Aceh Province

Abstract

Currently Aceh has 458,616 hectares of oil palm plantation with production of 1,077,099 tons, processed in 40 Palm Oil Mill and produces about 607 thousand Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME). POME is known to produce biogas which consists of methane which is Green House Gas (GHG) that can be recognized to cause global warming. The entire processing plant uses only a lagoon system in wastewater treatment, usually the first anaerobic stage followed by a facultative treatment. Both of these major palm oil wastes are renewable energy sources that can be utilized to generate electrical energy. In this study, a feasibility analysis of POME utilization has been conducted to generate electricity. Data on plant capacity, amount of wastewater produced, type of waste treatment owned by palm factory, waste treatment performance, and technical specifications of waste treatment. Collected from all Palm Oil Factory. Net present value, return rate and internal capital return are calculated. Based on the calculated value it has been found that the application of a biogas plant for power generation is economically feasible in the perspective of Aceh Province and the survival or economic attractiveness increases with increasing crop.